New modus operandi in drug trade a challenge for police

Bukit Aman NCID director Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh (C) with NCID deputy director (operations) Datuk Kang Chez Chiang (R) and Bukit Aman NCID deputy director Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat showing several photographs detailing NCID's successes in combating drugs, during a press conference at Bukit Aman police headquarters on March 23, 2018. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Police are now faced with a more sophisticated and complicated drug distribution system, where the modus operandi for dealers is to send small quantities of drugs to their customers via postal services.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said that this was one of the biggest challenges that his department faces in tackling the drug problem in Malaysia.

"Trends in drug trafficking have changed in the modern day. If we talk about the 20th century, which was the 70's to the 90's, drug trafficking only took place by traditional straightforward means through distributors, buyers and transporters.

"Since the beginning of the 21st century, beginning in the year 2000, the trend has become more sophisticated and complicated, as synthetic drugs started becoming a threat and progress in technology which proved challenging for law enforcement," he said at a press conference in Bukit Aman today to celebrate the 211th National Police Day celebrations.

He said the postal drug issue was brought up when he attended a conference organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna, Austria recently.

According to Mohmad Salleh, orders for drugs are purchased by consumers through the dark web, before being sent to them via post in small batches, and these sites are easily accessible.

He said that his department will have to get involved in activities organised by law enforcement in other parts of the world, which will give them input and knowledge of current global drug trends and smuggling techniques that are constantly changing.

Meanwhile, he also said that he would not hesitate to take action against any of his staff that become involved in narcotics.

Mohmad Salleh also added that in the two decades that the narcotics department has been operating, they have arrested almost two million people for drug abuse and seized a whopping RM3 billion worth of drugs.